By Dr. Michael Wald

Can Good Nutrition Help less and treat joint and muscle pain in Baby Boomers?

The concepts provided in this and forthcoming articles about health and the baby bomber, when applied to your life, have the potential to keep you well much longer with less disability and increased longevity. If you are over 65 years old this year then you are one of over 78 million baby boomers. Defined as those born between the years 1946 to 1964, as a “certified baby boomer,” you can count on a few things as you age …..

– You will be one of over 2.8 million people that will be eligible for Medicare.

– Your average life expectancy, at birth, if you are a man is 75.4 and if you are a woman 80.4. If you have or will soon make it to 65 years old your life expectancy improves to an average of 83.6 years.

– You will likely live longer due to medical advances and improved nutrition and reduced infant mortality, but will be the inevitable recipient of multiple diseases and/or disabilities.

– You will either eventually live in a nursing home as the number of baby boomers over the age of 65 is exponentially increasing by a rate of 2.5 by the year 2040, or you will die alone in a hospital bed.

Does living longer mean you will enjoy a pain free, energetic life with the freedom of mind and body to enjoy life fully? Sadly, maybe not as a large majority of baby bombers suffer from musculoskeletal problems like those mentioned in this article. If you practice healthy eating habits and exercise smartly you will likely reduce your eventual disability and risk of several diseases including: degenerative arthritis, dementia, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic fatigue and more. Unless you adapt daily longevity strategies designed to reach, maintain or achieve optimal health you will likely end up like most Americans and suffer from: memory issues, fatigue, joint and muscle pains and ever increasing disease risk. This ongoing series for baby boomers will provide education and advice for living longer and better by staving off many baby boomer diseases/disabilities.

How Long You Live Maybe Up To You

Mortality rates of baby boomers differ from country to country, but life expectancy in the United States seems to be reaching an upper limit. The United Kingdom, Sweden, France and the Netherlands and Japan have a lower mortality rate than the United States. In Sweden and Japan life expectancy is three to four times higher than in the US. The reason for this discrepancy is not clear but likely involves a combination of lifestyle factors, reduction in infant mortality, individual genetics, availability of quality health care and other factors. Although dietary and lifestyle factors including exercise, sleep patterns, stress levels and nutrition are not the only areas that influence quality and quantity of life, they play a major role and can be greatly influenced by how you live on a daily basis.

Redefining Aging and Longevity

If baby boomers adopt healthier diets, better exercise habits and maintain a wellness attitude, a higher quality and length of life can be expected as compared to the “typical American baby bomber counter-part”; this baby bomber lives’ on the SAD (Standard American) diet proven to cause premature death and disability. Healthy lifestyle practices, found within holistic health care, and not emphasized in allopathic medicine, have proven effects on reducing your risk of developing many inevitable diseases for some baby boomer’s including:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Degenerative arthritis
• Dementia
• Diabetes
• Eye problems
• Fatigue
• Hepatitis C
• Hypertension
• Infections, acute and chronic

You may not be able to avoid these and other diseases of aging, but focused education and effort can minimize your risk. In this article, I will focus on how you can continue to move freely unimpeded by arthritis and muscle pain and stiffness from aging, overwork and degenerative arthritis. Retiring and being unable to continue living a quality of life is largely up to you! Scientific studies, and my 22 years of clinical experience have convinced me that the choice of health is largely, although not entirely, up to you. Environment, diet, stress, sleep, hormones, toxins and nutritional supplements are just some of the areas my articles will focus on.

Here are some quick and practical things you can do to begin to reduce your risk of degenerative musculoskeletal problems. For this topic of musculoskeletal health, and for all future topics I will cover in this baby bomber ongoing series of articles I have created a few sections that make it all very simple! These sections are:

1. EAT THESE FOODS
2. AVOID THESE FOODS
3. LIFESTYLE CONSIDERATIONS
4. NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
5. TESTS

Stay tuned for part 2 of this articles shortly…..

– Dr. Michael Wald, aka The Blood Detective, is the director of nutritional services at Integrated Medicine of Mount Kisco, located in Westchester New York. He has appeared on ABC World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer, Channel 11 PIX, Channel 12 News, CNN, The Food Network and other media outlets. Dr. Wald earned the name Blood Detective for his reputation to find problems that are often missed by other doctors. He earned an MD degree, is a doctor of chiropractic and a certified dietician-nutritionist. He is also double-board certified in nutrition. He has published over a dozen books with three additional titles due for release late 2013 including: Frankenfoods – Genetically Modified Foods: Controversies, Lies & Your Health and Gluten-A-Holic: How to Live Gluten Free and the Blood Detective’s Longevity Secrets. Dr. Wald can be reached at: www.intmedny.com or www.blooddetective.com or by calling: 914-242-8844.